Board puzzles

ABSTRACT

A portable puzzle comprising a board containing a recess sized for holding seven regular twelve-sided prisms, one prism centrally located and the other six surrounding the center prism, and also comprising seven regular twelve sided prisms each having an upwardly presented face composed of twelve different colored segments, each segment terminating along one of the respective sides, the color arrangement of each prism&#39;s segments being varied from prism to prism but having been prearranged such that when the prisms are placed within the recess of the game board in one particular manner, the contiguous edges of adjacent prisms contain segments of the same color.

BE IT KNOWN THAT I, ARTHUR. W. JUENGER, a citizen of the United States and resident of the County of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful improvements in BOARD PUZZLES of which the following is a specification, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to portable pattern alignment puzzle games. Applicant has no knowledge of any cross-related applications. This invention has no connection with any federally sponsored research and development program.

BACKGROUND

Puzzles have existed for decades as conventional forms of amusement, entertainment and interest occupying devices. Puzzle solvers regularly enjoy mental exercises in shape, space and color identification and recognition provided by puzzles. Experienced puzzle solvers find simple and uncomplicated puzzles boring and unchallenging, and conventionally avoid such puzzles. There exists a need for complex puzzles which are small, portable, and suited for convenient storage in a briefcase or handbag while in a partially solved condition.

To satisfy these needs, applicant has invented a small, portable puzzle, sized and shaped for carrying in briefcases or folders or the like, which is complex and challenging, and which may be readily stored in a partially solved condition when matters arise causing interruptions in puzzle solving. A puzzle of the type hereinafter described may be stored for days, weeks and months, and it may be readily carried into places where people customarily look for something to occupy their time, such as in airports, physician's offices or while traveling.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a portable puzzle comprising seven twelve sided prisms movably disposed in the recess of a solving board to which the individual pieces of the puzzle are magnetically attracted such that said pieces may be held and moved about in the recess without the use of interlocking configurations, and which, during periods of non-use, may be readily stored in convenient locations. The face of each prism presents twelve colored segments extending from the center of the prism to the sides on the periphery of the prism. Each prism has two segments each of six different colors. The arrangement of colors on the face of each prism differs from the arrangement of colors on every other prism. The object of the puzzle is to place the individual prisms in the recessed solving board in such manner that there are the same colors on the abutting sides of the various prisms when the prisms are disposed in the solving board.

IN THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of my invention in the solved condition;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the solving board with the prisms removed;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the prism 100;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the prism 80;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the prism 40;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the prism 60;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the prism 120;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the prism 140; and

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the prism 160.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now in more detail by reference character to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, A represents a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle assembly comprising a base 20 and seven prisms 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140 and 160. The base 20 is preferably a flat sheet 22 of magnetically attractive material sandwiched between thin layers 24, 26, of wood or plastic as best seen in FIG. 3.

The prism 40 is a regular twelve sided prism having twelve outwardly presented flat faces 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 and 52. Similarly, the prism 60 is a regular twelve sided prism having twelve outwardly presented flat faces 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 and 72; the prism 80 is a regular twelve sided prism having twelve outwardly presented flat faces 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91 and 92; the prism 100 is a regular twelve sided prism having twelve outwardly presented flat faces 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111 and 112; the prism 120 is a regular twelve sided prism having twelve outwardly presented flat faces 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131 and 132; the prism 60 is a regular twelve sided prism having twelve outwardly presented flat faces 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151 and 152; and the prism 160 is a regular twelve sided prism having twelve outwardly presented flat faces 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171 and 172. The central portions of each prism is coated with a metallic coating for attracting each prism toward the base 20 for purposes presently more fully to appear.

The base 20 contains a recess 21 sized for accepting all seven prisms, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140 and 160 arranged such that one is located in the center of the recess and the other six are placed around the central prism. Along the periphery of the recess 21, there are six cutout sections 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 sized for snug fitting disposition of the outer peripheries of the prisms stacked around the centrally positioned prism.

Referring to FIG. 1, the upwardly presented faces of each prism 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140 and 160, each present a twelve section FIGS. 53, 73, 93, 113, 133, 153 and 173, respectively, of twelve individual sections, each of which follow a curved path from the center of each prism to the twelve outwardly presented sides of that prism's. It is to be noted that each section starts at the center and ends exclusively at one of the twelve outer sides such that when the seven prisms are place in the recess 21, the prisms will only contact each other along one of the common outer sides and there will be only one segment from each prism in contact with one segment of the adjoining prism.

The upwardly presented face of each prism 53, 73, 93, 113, 133, 153 and 173, is colored with six different colors, red, orange yellow, green blue and purple, arranged differently on the face and arranged such that there are only two sections of the same color on each of said faces. It should be here noted that the order of placements of the colors on the individual sections of the individual prisms is crucial to the creation of the puzzle. Referring now to Table I, the correct order of section colors on the separate prisms is set out such that there will be only one correct solution in the millions of possible combinations.

Use and Operation

It should be noted that when one prism is positioned in the center of the recess 21 and the pother six prisms are positioned in the recess about the central prism, that the central prism will have a side in abutment with a side of each of the surrounding prisms, and each of the surrounding prisms will have one side in abutment with the central prism and a side in abutment with each adjacent peripheral prism. The object of the puzzle is to position the prisms such that each side which abuts a side of an adjacent prism abuts a section of the same color as the abutting section.

In use, the prisms are positioned and repositioned in the recess of the base until the color of each abutting section is the same. By coating the base and individual prisms out of materials which have magnetically attractive properties, solution of the puzzle may be continued on a day to day basis if desired. This is a necessary feature where, as here, there are over a billion possible combinations of prism positions and locations and yet only one correct solution. Because of the inherent difficulty, a challenging portable puzzle can be provided which is readily adaptable for use wherever people are accustomed to spending long waiting periods looking for something to do such as at airports, and while traveling, particularly in automobiles and airplanes where freedom of movement is restricted and waiting boredom looms.

The following table presents one suggested combination of colored segments on each prism to create a suitable puzzle:

Prism 40 Prism 60 Prism 80 Prism 100 Edge Color Edge Color Edge Color Edge Color 41 Orange 61 Red 81 Purple 101 Orange 42 Purple 62 Blue 82 Red 102 Green 43 Green 63 Green 83 Green 103 Red 44 Red 64 Red 84 Blue 104 Yellow 45 Orange 65 Purple 85 Purple 105 Orange 46 Blue 66 Blue 86 Orange 106 Blue 47 Yellow 67 Purple 87 Yellow 107 Purple 48 Purple 68 Orange 88 Green 108 Green 49 Green 69 Green 89 Red 109 Purple 50 Yellow 70 Yellow 90 Yellow 110 Red 51 Blue 71 Orange 91 Blue 111 Yellow 52 Red 72 Yellow 92 Orange 112 Blue Prism 120 Prism 140 Prism 160 Edge Edge Edge Color Edge Color 121 121 141 Orange 161 Yellow 122 122 142 Yellow 162 Red 123 123 143 Green 163 Green 124 124 144 Blue 164 Purple 125 125 145 Red 165 Blue 126 126 146 Yellow 166 Yellow 127 127 147 Blue 167 Orange 128 128 148 Red 168 Green 129 129 149 Purple 169 Purple 130 130 150 Green 170 Orange 131 131 151 Orange 171 Red 132 132 152 Purple 172 Blue

It should be apparent that changes and substitutions in the unique and novel arrangement, combination, assembly and interaction of the various parts, colors and components shown and described herein may be made without departing from the nature and principle of my invention. 

1. A puzzle comprising a board provided with a recess, a plurality of prisms sized and shaped for snug-fitting disposition in the recess, each of said prisms being provided with an upwardly presented face, and indicia means on the upwardly presented face on each of said prisms, said indicia means on each of the prisms containing a preselected color scheme arranged such that when the prisms are disposed in the recess in a predetermined manner, the contiguous portions of adjacent prisms will present a preselected design to the viewer.
 2. The puzzle of claim 1 in which the prisms are seven in number and each prism is similarly shaped and has twelve sides of substantially equal length.
 3. The puzzle of claim 1 in which the prisms are seven in number, each prism is similarly shaped and has twelve sides of substantially equal length, and each indicia means presents twelve colored segments, each segment starting at the center of the prism face and following a path to one of the twelve sides of each prism.
 4. The puzzle of claim 1 in which the prisms are seven in number, each prism is similarly shaped and has twelve sides of substantially equal length, and each indicia means presents twelve colored segments, each segment starting at the center of the prism face and following a path to one of the twelve sides of each prism, and the twelve segments are colored in six different colors, two segments for each color.
 5. The puzzle of claim 1 in which the prisms are seven in number, each prism is similarly shaped and has twelve sides of substantially equal length, and each indicia means presents twelve colored segments, each segment starting at the center of the prism face and following a path to one of the twelve sides of each prism, the twelve segments are colored in six different colors, two segments for each color, and the arrangement of the colored segments is preselectively varied from prism to prism.
 6. A puzzle comprising a board provided with a recess, a plurality of twelve sided regular prisms sized and shaped for snug-fitting disposition in the recess, each of said prisms being provided with an upwardly presented face, and indicia means on the upwardly presented face on each of said prisms, said indicia means including twelve segments, each segment extending from the center of that prism to one of the twelve sides thereof, said segments being colored in one of six different colors, each indicia means on each prism having no more than two segments of the same color, the color arrangement of the six colored segments on each of the seven indicia means being different from the color arrangement of the six colored segments on every other prism, the colored segments arrangements being such that when the prisms are placed in the recess in a preselected manner, abutting sides of adjacent prisms will have segments of the same color.
 7. The puzzle of claim 6 in which one of the prisms is located centrally in the recess and the other six prisms surround the centrally located prism.
 8. The puzzle of claim 6 in which one of the prisms is located centrally in the recess and the other six prisms surround the centrally located prism in the recess, and each of the outer prisms abut the central prism on one adjacent side and abuts each adjacent prism on one side.
 9. The puzzle of claim 6 in which one of the prisms is located centrally in the recess and the other six prisms surround the centrally located prism, each of the outer prisms abut the central prism on one adjacent side and abuts each laterally adjacent prism on one side, and the color of each segment at the side where two prisms abut is the same color. 